A Rare Pony Express Artifact
A letter that took two years to reach its destination evokes the hazards of the Pony Express
- By Owen Edwards
- Smithsonian magazine, May 2010, Subscribe
In 1860, an ill-fated Pony Express rider, whose name has been lost to history, was crossing the trackless wastes of Nevada when he vanished, likely killed by Indians. Two years later, in May 1862, the mail pouch from that doomed mission, still containing letters bound for the East, was recovered.
Today, only a few remnants from the contents of that saddlebag survive. Among them is an envelope—a rare artifact of the mid-19th-century’s legendary Pony Express mail service, founded 150 years ago. (The letter that was inside has long since disappeared.) The philatelic treasure will reside on long-term loan at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum (NPM). Recently, the envelope’s owner, William H. Gross, a passionate stamp collector since childhood, donated funds for a new 12,000-square-foot gallery at the museum, scheduled to open in 2012. The envelope will take pride of place in the new exhibition space. “There are only two pieces of what collectors call ‘interrupted mail’ from the Pony Express known to exist, and they were in that rider’s pouch,” says NPM curator Daniel Piazza.
The concept of expedited mail delivery by a relay of single riders on fast horses—a kind of grass-fueled FedEx—echoed the vision that won the West. Established in April 1860, the Pony Express failed to win a major contract from the federal government and was replaced by a stagecoach line after only 18 months. Yet its bravado has colored the mail service ever since.
The transcontinental delivery system was marvelous in its simplicity. Across 1,900 miles, at 186 stations between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, fresh horses awaited carriers who rode at full gallop in 10- to 12-mile segments (judged to be the maximum distance that a good mount could maintain a speedy clip). At each station, the rider leapt off one horse and onto the next, then sped on. The tough, wiry horsemen covered up to 125 miles at a stretch—a punishing pace that commanded a then-substantial salary of $25 per week. William “Buffalo Bill” Cody and James “Wild Bill” Hickok boasted they had earned their spurs as young Express riders. “Or so they claimed,” says Piazza. (There is no evidence that either did so.)
The rare 1860 envelope attests that hard riding was not the most daunting aspect of the job. Routes passed through deserted, often forbidding, territory. A note scrawled on the front of the artifact alludes to its tragic backstory: “Recovered from a [sic] mail stolen by the Indians in 1860.” The nameless victim is thought to have been the only Pony Express rider killed, though a few station agents died when Indians attacked their outposts.
The letter at last reached its destination—a New York City business recorded only as Fred Probst & Co.—in August 1862. Says Piazza: “So much happened between when the letter was sent and when it arrived—Lincoln’s election, the secession crisis, the beginning of the Civil War.” (In March 1861, the Pony Express set a record for transcontinental delivery—7 days 17 hours—when riders carried Abraham Lincoln’s Inaugural Address to the West Coast.) The envelope bears an oval stamp that reads “The Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company,” the enterprise that administered the Pony Express. It had disbanded nine months before, on October 26, 1861.
The envelope also bears a basic 10-cent stamp, which normally would have meant a two-month trip, as the letter traveled from San Francisco by ship down the West Coast, across the isthmus of Panama and by sea up the East Coast to New York City. The additional cost for Pony Express service—guaranteed to reach the East Coast in about 12 days—was $5 (roughly $133 in today’s currency) per half-ounce.
Ultimately, says Piazza, even the envelope’s stamp, with its image of George Washington, offers a history lesson. “Although the letter was delivered,” he says, “the 10-cent stamp was no longer valid. At the beginning of the [Civil] War, all existing postal stamps were demonetized so the Confederacy couldn’t use them.”
Owen Edwards is a freelance writer and author of the book Elegant Solutions
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Comments (100)
I am doing a project on The Pony Express. My project is for NHD I was wondering could you maybe send me some artifacts.
Posted by Kayla on January 12,2012 | 07:33 PM
I have apony express news letter advertisment says effective july 1,1861 .change of times .
Posted by beverly on March 30,2011 | 02:10 PM
I have a letter " carried via PONY EXPRESS race from GHOST TOWN OF BODIE california to bridgeport california" July 6, 1968 Pony Express Bodie. Is this of any value? Letter not opened.
Posted by Jeff Robertshaw on March 21,2011 | 10:45 AM
Nice article, but a few flaws. 1) The pony express was not replaced by stage coach - telegraph and trains put them out of business. BTW - I just rode 3 miles of the old pony express trail behind Strawberry Lodge in CA last week while delivering the mochila for the 2010 re-ride.
History Lives On
www.xphomestation.com
Posted by Annette on June 13,2010 | 07:40 PM
The Pony Express went out of business slightly more than 48 hours after the first transcontinental telegraph line was completed in October 1861, nine years ahead of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. The telegraph made the Pony Express obsolete. The invention of the electro-magnetic telegraph has been named one of the ten most important inventions in world history. You would think that the author would have at least mentioned the telegraph instead of making it appear that some nameless person decided to switch the mail from the Pony Express to stagecoach
Posted by Warren McFarland on May 20,2010 | 05:10 PM
The ongoing discussion on Indian vs. native American aside, I very much enjoyed the article on the piece of ‘interrupted mail’ and the short-lived Pony Express delivery service. I found the accompanying picture interesting in that I understood that Express riders were all boys; slight of build, excellent horsemen, and usually orphans due to the significant dangers they faced and the very real possibility that they might not complete their mission. I also noted that the rider pictured carries a rifle and saddlebags in addition to the letter pouch across his shoulder. It was my understanding that Express riders carried neither as a consideration of weight (and possibly to preclude any inclination to stop and fight rather than flee with all haste in the direction of the next route station).
R. W. Randy Sims
Posted by R.W. Sims on May 16,2010 | 10:31 PM
American Indian women have been sterilized with out their knowledge and often sterilized using sterilizing agents that have not been yet approved for use in the US that cause them health problems. Or were lied to about how they were being sterilized and told things like it would be reversible.
Also Canada doesn't treat their First Peoples any better than we do. They may have gave them a providence but that land has some of the worse toxins levels in Canada. Also they forced almost all of their tribes children into Indian Boarding Schools, while in America tribal children were just highly encouraged to go to them. Look into Indian Boarding Schools it was how our government and Canada's decided that since they physically couldn't kill off all of the Indians that they would kill of their cultures and see if they could assimilate them into our culture. Indian Boardings Schools were still open even in the 1970's.
There are a million things I could talk about that have recently been done against an American Indian or their tribe. There are too many things for me to mention. Don't react poorly to hearing these things. These things are what happens around us, that the normal media doesn't report about. Most people in this country have been made to feel that American Indians are all dead or that they are a static group of people who are stuck in the past and that the things that are done to them are all of the past. But that is not the case. I know this stuff is sad and horrible but instead of being sad do something. Become educated about it and educate others. :)
Posted by Artistic Avi on May 13,2010 | 05:49 AM
That is just one instance. Look up the Dann Sisters and you will read about how these older women were terrorized by the police and the government and strip mining corporations because they wanted their land since it was mineral rich.
The government told many American Indian people in the 60's whose reservation had Uranium deposits underneath them that if they set up Uranium mines they would help build them roads and schools and medical facilities and that the mines would give them jobs. The government knew about the dangers of uranium but told them nothing. The people who worked in the mines wore none of the protection they needed since they didn't know they needed it. The government built them buildings and roads using low grade materials that contained low grade uranium ore. Even today these people have horrible health problems and are feeling the effects of the radiation. The government still try's to do this but tells the tribes the safety requirements needed now. What they don't tell them is what will happen to their land when a uranium mine or a strip mine is put on their land and how often it starts to make the area around it toxic.
Also for one tribe some where kind of near Nevada or in it, I forget which tribe, their only natural clean aquifer has been taken from them so that the water is transported to an electrical company so it can be used to run through machines for discharging the waste. They could use dirty water but instead they use something they can get to come to them slightly cheaper and in the process ruin perfectly clean water. The people of this tribe and the other people of the area are poor, so no one cares that they have to pump the earth trying to get what water they can and then transport it to their homes and then filter it many times before use.
Continued...
Posted by Artistic Avi on May 13,2010 | 05:48 AM
George P. Burdell,
This is what I said "We shouldn't feel guilty since we weren't there and able to change things. We should feel guilty if we aren't doing anything about the injustices to American Indians and other peoples during our own lives. So I say stop feeling guilty and do something."
Also I never said that American Indians didn't fight. Some tribes attacked others and some tribes never attacked others and would only defend themselves when attacked. Also some tribes had slaves; the slave class were thought of as not as valuable members of their society but they did have rights and were usually not abused. Slavery is still not a good thing no matter how well you treat slave. Also there is a ton of evidence that almost no tribes did scalping before Europeans came and showed them the technique. They fought other ways.
Also all people should strive to be "noble" during their lives. I was not making a case for all American Indians being any type of horrible stereotype such as the "noble native". The "noble native" as you put it is one of the not as bad stereotypes but it is still a negative stereotype and it is negative to stereotype an entire group of people.
So you would like to know what any of this has to do with today. Well I didn't want to get into it since there is so much information but since you want to know...
I said this earlier and you might not have read it "You would probably be surprised to know that most of the nuclear bomb tests in Nevada don't take place on military land, they take place on reservation land. But the way it works is that even though the tribes have sovereignty on their reservations, the reservations are also federal government land, so the government gets away with a lot of atrocities on tribal land."
Continued...
Posted by Artistic Avi on May 13,2010 | 05:45 AM
Artistic Avi
..you are getting way too wound up. True it is a travisty that the White Native Americans slaughtered the peop le that were in residence at the time..But what does that have to do with Today? I refuse to be held responsible for the sins of the past.. ( and no..my ancestors were not involved..but that is beside the point..) Please visit Chaco Canyon NM, Battle Lake MN, or many of the other documented sites of "Native on Native" violence before you attempt to make the case for the "noble native"
Posted by George P. Burdell on May 8,2010 | 10:43 PM
This is what I have to say. If another country came here and tried to take over what would you do and how would you feel? What if they succeeded at taking over and decided to then mistreat you and your family. Then they decide to slowly try and kill you and your family off by starving you of your resources. They also try to kill off your culture and only leave you a small bit of land for you to try and live the way you use to. How would you feel? And now it is the future. People have continued to treat you and those of your culture poorly. And everyone acts like you and your culture has died off long ago. How would you feel? The majority of people in your country act like the injustices against you and your ancestors happened long ago and you should just get over it. But the racism and land acquisition of what little is left has never ended. And the current government poisons what land you have. How would you feel?
I feel that we need to try to think like others to understand where they are coming from. Yes I am not an American Indian and I can never fully understand how any American Indian feels. Truly I can't fully understand how anyone else feels, but it is important to try. We need to try for the sake of each other and living peaceably.
Posted by Artistic Avi on May 6,2010 | 02:31 AM
Augustus McCrae your information is outdated on the Kennewick man. Studies have shown that he is most likely a person from the Asian continent and most resembles the Ainu people. There is a lot of evidence that American Indians have been here a lot longer than most scientists originally thought. They have been here long enough that they have completely adapted to this environment and that their best life style is living off of the natural resources on this continent.
This is addressed to everyone: Yes history is full of stories of people being displaced by other people, but is it right? It use to be considered okay in our culture, but not anymore. Our founding fathers at first wanted to be fair with the native peoples of this continent but then as more Europeans came and needed more land they gave up on their high ideals and decided to rescind on their original treaties. Yes I understand this want to avoid feeling guilty but I don't think it's alright to make excuses. We shouldn't feel guilty since we weren't there and able to change things. We should feel guilty if we aren't doing anything about the injustices to American Indians and other peoples during our own lives. So I say stop feeling guilty and do something. Like become more educated on current American Indian policies and issues in the country. Earlier this year I was in a class focusing on issues facing American Indian Woman and I was amazed by how badly American Indians are currently being treated by our government and throughout our history as a country.
.....Continued
Posted by Artistic Avi on May 6,2010 | 02:31 AM
The snide remarks about our postal service are uncalled for. Could the service be better? No doubt. But the invective smacks of the rantings of a malcontent.
Could it be that people have been watching Jerry Seinfeld's mail man for too long?
Posted by Fred and Trudi Bender on May 6,2010 | 06:48 PM
As a great-great grand daughter of Alexander Majors I was very pleased to read of the empty envelope. We still enjoy stories and memories of him and the Pony Express that the family has passed down through the generations.
He was one of the three owners of the Pony Express, Russell, Majors, and Wadell. Russell was the financial part of the business Wadell was the Washington DC contact and Majors put the business on the road, providing the horses, the men, and routing. He ran the business.
He wrote a book, or rather he dictated a book, of his life though he did not know how to read or write well enough to write it himself. It is called Seventy Years on the Frontier and is still a pretty good overview of the wild west.
Nancy Majors Ostrander
Posted by nancy Majors Ostrander on May 6,2010 | 05:40 PM
Injuns.
Kennewick Man throws a wrench in the native works. It is indication europeans far predated the injuns and were exterminated by them.
Besides, history is rife with peoples being displaced by other people, peacefully and not. Who was there first is not only indeterminant but a weak cover for refusal to accept reality and deal with it.
Posted by AUGUSTUS MCCRAE on May 4,2010 | 02:01 AM
My grandfather actually 'rode shotgun' for "The Pony Express" (I still have have his 'badge'). I'm only 34, so that should tell you how old my parents were when they had me and how old their parents were when they had them.
He was an Swedish immigrant, an accomplished marksman, then became a carpenter. He was Lar's Son, therefore, my mother's maiden name was "Larson".
I think that's so fascinating!
Posted by SassaFrass88 on May 4,2010 | 03:01 PM
The pony Express riders were a vital part of history and one that was not spoken of was Maglito Parras, aka The Musgave Kid who live in Old Liberty.
Colonel Bain has a book out now, part one of two books about the OutLaw trail. Could this be that missing man?
chek out this site:
www.withoutglory.com
Adios
Posted by Brother Enrique on May 4,2010 | 12:14 PM
"Native Americans" is not what American Indians prefer to be called, and, it's not accurate. Those of us who are born here are all Native Americans. Please, PC Police, get it right!
Posted by TP on May 4,2010 | 03:17 AM
I am from St. Joseph, Missouri, and last month we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express with a parade and with reenactments in front of the Pony Express Museum.
Posted by Karla on May 3,2010 | 02:55 AM
My great uncle (now deceased) delivered for the Pony Express. I wish I could have had some of his and my great Aunt's belongings and artifacts.
And I wish I'd known when my uncle was still alive and he'd been able to tell me tales.
Posted by chocHollyK on May 3,2010 | 02:44 AM
Dan link, it was back then.
Posted by Cody on May 3,2010 | 02:43 AM
Ward Bond? Wagon Train, right? Gee, how many know who you are referring to- I do. My brothers rarely let me watch the Nelsons as it was an opposing channel at the same time.
Posted by Connie on May 3,2010 | 02:04 AM
This is a letter from a colletion owned by the William gross who runs Pimco in California; they sell almost all of the US treasury debt. He's the same man who built an entire woman's Hospital in Newport Beach California. He gives alot back and I think that is great because other people benefits from these endowments. Bill and Sue Gross good for them!
Posted by Fred Rawlins on May 3,2010 | 02:01 AM
Perhaps he fell off a cliff, or disappeared down a well... Indians didn't kill everyone, obviously.
Posted by Jack Lee on May 3,2010 | 01:52 AM
greatly informative article! Thank you so much for posting!
Posted by OC on May 3,2010 | 01:42 AM
indians, nataive americans, why are so many of you concerned with being politicaly correct. They have been indians forever, what's changed, and why??????
Posted by george butcher on May 3,2010 | 01:35 AM
Brdatswork2 has to be one of the few insightful people I’ve seen commenting. The general idea that all the Indians just settle here and never conquered, enslaved, and killed each other to take what they had when the white man arrived is just blind stupidity. The land claims cases etc that have given native Americans so much are all a crock. Noone is standing up for what was taken from my Irish ancestors, of their Germanic ancestors before them, because they took it from someone else and noone has ever really had the right to claim it beyond “I got here first”, or “I bought it from/was given it by someone. It would take too much time to trace the actual original owner even if one could, but what it comes down to is history. This rider who remains nameless, was part of a business that lasted only 18 months, 150 years ago, yet is still a household name today! This is what history is about. The Indians have casinos and riches. Let this rider who was needlessly killed have his place in history without feeling sorry for those who murdered him!
Posted by F Breawer on May 3,2010 | 01:30 AM
Outstanding article - Thanks! And "Indians" is just fine (note what is written on the the envelope). ;)
Posted by George on May 3,2010 | 01:08 AM
An Apache historian told me that Indians prefer to be Indians if they cannot be called by their tribal name. Native Americans applies to everyone born here. As he pointed out, Indians were called Indians before the natives of India were called that. They were Hindustanis.
I know what he told me is not politically correct, but I think twice before calling Indians Native Americans. If I know their tribe and can pronounce it, I use that.
Posted by Ellen Anthony on May 3,2010 | 01:01 AM
What many people fail to understand is the Pony Express was a privately operated business. And 10-12 miles of hard running is a heck of lot for a horse. Probably went through a lot of ponies in that 18 months.
Posted by Don on May 3,2010 | 12:55 AM
Won the West?? Sure and it was "discovered" also. No one was here, right?
Posted by John on May 3,2010 | 12:39 AM
so in reality then the cost of a stamp has not really risen much since the pony express considering how everything else has increased in price in over 100 years.
Posted by GayPsychic on May 3,2010 | 12:32 AM
Hey, I'm part "Native American" and I don't give a hoot that they say "Indian"... give it a rest people, it's not a big freakin' deal! You just want to create needless drama to add meaning to your useless existence, in my opinion.
Posted by Joe on May 3,2010 | 12:15 AM
For those of you who don't know Missouri is MO, MS is Mississippi.
Posted by Bogart on May 3,2010 | 12:09 AM
Excellent article, again the Pony Express has captured people's interest and imagination with a single envelope.
Posted by Angela on May 3,2010 | 12:00 AM
When the white man headed west there was wanton killing of the Native Americans that is the same as ethnic cleansing is practiced by nations as Iraq while Saddam Hussein was in power. There is no difference between the people who killed the Native Americans and the people who killed the people of Iraq except for the time in history. I am always ashamed to call myself an American as I will never forgive the so called Americans who killed the Native Americans who only wanted to live as they had for hundreds of years. This land is their land and not the land of those who live on it now. The Native Americans were ordered to leave the land where they lived and were sent to live on what is commonly called "Indian Reservations" and the reservations didn't have the plants, birds and animals the Native Americans were used to hunting so they could be self sustaining and many died on the reservations because the political climate at the time didn't care about the Native Americans, they cared about the migration of those who were heading west. The Native Americans are getting some compensation now as they have the right to construct casinos and are doing so and finally receiving some of the money that is due them because they make a very large profit running the casinos. I am still ashamed to call myself an American as I am not proud of the way America treated the Native Americans in the past and I am not proud of the way America treats the Native Americans now.
Posted by Peter Marks on May 3,2010 | 11:28 PM
When I was a child growing up my best friend and I played Cowboys and Indians not Cowboys and Native Americans.
He and I are still very good friends and he still refers to himself and an Indian. Native Americans instead of Indians give me a break with this new speak politically correct jargon they are Indians and proud of it.
Posted by Partick on May 3,2010 | 11:26 PM
I never did like the term Native American. Their ancestors were here long before this place was called America, and technically anyone born in the U.S. is a "Native" American. It's almost as much of a misnomer as Indian. I suppose to be accurate we should refer to native people by the names of their individual tribes. But we would still need a term for the entire group.
You know, during the last winter Olympics I noticed that the Canadians referred to their native people as "First Nations". That's a pretty cool term. Why don't we use something like that here?
Posted by Matthew on May 3,2010 | 11:21 PM
There was a tv movie about this in the late 70's or early 80's
Leif Garrenson played a pony express rider and then the postman both tell their tell but the one with lief was the real one who brought them to life and what they really went through
Posted by p nichols on May 3,2010 | 11:19 PM
maybe the us post office should adopt the pony express delivery system. I bet they didn't loose 3 billion in any year????
Posted by james darrell on May 3,2010 | 11:08 PM
Indian fits the story just fine.even today they say: Indian casino not native american casino.
Posted by Bob on May 3,2010 | 10:59 PM
I think it is ridculous to assume that this Pony Express rider was "likely killed by Indians". Why did Native Americans have to be tarnished in this article? Settlers came here and took the land over. Making the Native Americans leave the land, killed them brutally, giving them diseases from which they had no natural immunity. We were treated badly then and we continue to be today. The only true Americans are the Native Americans.
Posted by Native_American on May 3,2010 | 10:51 PM
To answer some of the questions:
1. it's just the envelope, not a post card. The contents are missing.
2. stamps from that time period are fairly common. If it had a post mark on it indicating it was handled by the "Pony Express", then it would be rare and valuable.
3. the letter was "probably" delivered to the addressee, albeit 2-years later, hence the probable reason the contents are missing.
Posted by Frank S. on May 3,2010 | 10:49 PM
People, READ the article!
Nevada was pretty much a 'trackless waste' in 1860. It is not meant to insult Nevada, but serves to describe the harsh conditions of the West/Midwest at the time.
The letter WAS delivered two years after the date it was sent.
The letter was lost, only the envelope remains. This is why the letter was not pictured.
The article isn't all that long! Everything but the debate on political correctness is contained within.
Posted by Brianna on May 3,2010 | 10:39 PM
How about American instead of african american mexican american.... I could go on but because they were born here makes them american period !!!!!!
Posted by David on May 3,2010 | 10:38 PM
How about scap hunters back then Indians as they were not Native American as they are now known but the ones who killed the express rider were Scalp hunting Idaians ok..............................................
Posted by Gary on May 3,2010 | 10:37 PM
How about Indians instead of Native Americans which is meaningless..
Posted by Billy Paterson on May 3,2010 | 10:36 PM
I am native American and just say INDIAN, semantics are bull
Posted by David on May 3,2010 | 10:33 PM
Strange...If he is the only rider ever thought to be killed how was his name lost to history ? Weren't any records kept on who they employed ? Makes for a nice research project.
Posted by Arthur Green on May 3,2010 | 10:32 PM
Hi I found out how much it cost to mail a letter with the Pony Express. It was $5.00 an ounce. Not many people could afford to mail a letter. That was about a weeks pay back then. So don't gripe when you have to pay 47 cents to mail a letter. Thats only a few minutes of work to earn that. If it had been cheap there would have been more mail than a horse could carry. Check it out on the internet.
Posted by Jesse Ragsdale on May 3,2010 | 10:30 PM
My Great-great Grandfather rode for the Pony Express in Utah.
Henry Tuckett was born in England, came here as a young man and wrote about his adventures. My Grandmother says she only remembers that he had a scratchy face and like to kiss his grandchildren.
Posted by Chris on May 3,2010 | 10:29 PM
This is how I feel, the past is the past, but we can learn a lot from it. We should look to the past when we try to forge our futures so we can learn from our mistakes and cherish our successes and learn from them as well. Also I don't hate the government. Some people in it are corrupt but there are people in the government who do a lot of good as well. I love my country, there are parts of our history that I am proud of and some parts that I am not. I can't help that our ancestors took over this country but as a citizen it is my duty to make certain that such atrocities don't continue today and to make this country a great place to live for all of its citizens.
Posted by Artistic Avi on May 3,2010 | 10:25 PM
Actually most American Indians prefer to be called by their tribe. And most American Indians don't prefer if they are called Indian or Native American. The term Native American is a white academic term that a professor created to be PC but no one really asked what American Indians would like to be called so many American Indians today are not that in love with the term. The most PC term today is American Indian. Plus there is a lot of worry that if they stop considering themselves Indians that treaties will not be considered valid anymore. Now that might seem unlikely to you but large corporations and parts of the government who want Indian land will use any excuse to get at it, even using old out dated laws that aren't used anymore to try and take land. Just look into the Western Shoshone Dann Sisters story of how the government has tried to take their land away.
I understand that when the government started paying people to kill off bison to wipe out the tribes who were sustained by them, that that happened a long time ago. But look at all of the things that are still being done to the tribal peoples of America. You would probably be surprised to know that most of the nuclear bomb tests in Nevada don't take place on military land, they take place on reservation land. But the way it works is that even though the tribes have sovereignty on their reservations, the reservations are also federal government land, so the government gets away with a lot of atrocities on tribal land.
Everything I just said was slightly off topic but when I hear people say that the atrocities of the past are the past I feel that they should be reminded that especially for some minorities like American Indians this stuff is not only the past but the present as well.
On a happier note I find the Pony Express really an amazing piece of history. It was so efficient and a good reminder of what people can accomplish with out fossil fuels. Also the idea of it is so romantic. ^_^
Posted by Artistic Avi on May 3,2010 | 10:25 PM
Two years for a letter to get across country. That is almost where the USPS is now. While the Express riders had to dodge bullets, arrows, and snakes, what is USPS' excuse?
Posted by rnphuff on May 3,2010 | 10:23 PM
People !!
It's a little tale from history. Yes, mankind should learn historical lessons, yada-yada... But this is a little piece of interesting paper we can view and then appreciate the email and blog posting wonders of instant communication we take for granted today. Lighten up, sometimes an article is just an article.
Posted by marlan on May 3,2010 | 10:06 PM
The Native American vs Indian argument is rather foolish. I live in Montana near a reservation and the Indians I personally know find the argument very silly and refer to themselves as Indians, I was told by one Crow to look up the definition of "Native" and he pointed out that I am by definition a "Native American" even though I have no American Indian blood in me. Overall the Indians I know find the whole argument rather silly and amusing.
Posted by Dave on May 3,2010 | 10:03 PM
The masses of folks who originally traveled the trails west (Oregon, California, Mormon, etc.) were tough, strong, brave people- men, women, and children. I read one woman's diary account of her entire trip west, and she mentioned having given birth to her "8th child" shortly after arriving in Oregon and then was off to other adventures shortly afterward. Never once said she was "with child" the entire trip. Not to mention the many who birthed babies along the way - all in a day's work. The diseases, accidents, river crossings, weather, death, broken wagons, rattlesnakes, buffalo stampedes, etc. were daily challenges. Incredible people with almost superhuman strength of spirit, body, and mind. And again - there were Indians (Injuns) back then. It is not insensitive when referring to those times to say Indian...only so-called politically incorrect to say that today.
Posted by Carolyn on May 3,2010 | 10:00 PM
Dan Link, yes it is a "trackless waste", was then and still is. I lived there for a lot of years and there is nothing there to recommend it.
Posted by Rick on May 3,2010 | 09:53 PM
The actual envelope has the word "Indian" on it. They were called "Indians" in 1860. In this case, I say leave "Indian" in. It's not historically correct to say "Native American" - just politically correct for today's times.
Posted by Carolyn on May 3,2010 | 09:48 PM
And people complain today about the U.S. Postal Service raising thier rates one , or two cents!!!
Posted by Bob on May 3,2010 | 09:47 PM
No, Native American should not be used. I come from a Cherokee family. I am so sick of Native American, Black American, Italian American....We Are Americans..When did we lose track of that fact? It sickens me.
Posted by Rick on May 3,2010 | 09:42 PM
hmmm, "Indians" would be the correct name. "Native American" would be the 1970 PC name.
Posted by David on May 3,2010 | 09:37 PM
"hundreds of thousands of first people", DealMayem? Please quote your sources for that little tidbit of information. Also, please keep in mind that the "first people's" favorite method of hunting the buffalo was to cause a herd to stampede, and chase it off of a cliff.
Posted by Dave on May 3,2010 | 09:33 PM
A two year delay? If I were playing chess by mail, I wouldn't want that to be the other player. Slowest. Turn. Ever.
Posted by Patrick on May 3,2010 | 09:28 PM
Why is it presumed that Indians killed the rider? Why is it assumed that whomever wrote the note on the front of the interrupted letter was telling the true story? The Indians have been made the bad guys thru-out history books that we now find as being incorrect.
This is a wonderful piece of history but I don't think presumptions fit in with true history. Thank you for a look back into time.
Posted by DEBE on May 3,2010 | 09:11 PM
Hey Dan Link,
It wasn't then, but it is now.
Posted by a on May 3,2010 | 09:04 PM
The continental telegraph was more likely the cause of the demise of the Pony Express than the overland stage.
Posted by Joe Bauman on May 3,2010 | 08:33 PM
Art F, Jordan H,
Slow down and read a tad more carefully. In the article, it states:
The letter at last reached its destination—a New York City business recorded only as Fred Probst & Co.—in August 1862.
The letter that was inside has long since disappeared.
Posted by Mack K on May 3,2010 | 08:29 PM
Before all the political correctness, the word Indian was used. I find this far better than "Engines".
Posted by mandy on May 3,2010 | 08:21 PM
@ scott james How about engines?
Posted by Rick Burge on May 3,2010 | 08:19 PM
There are an awful lot of you refering to "Indians" as "Native Americans". There was no "political correctness" in 1860, so stop it! It is nice to try to please everyone, but don't become a complete drain on everyone around you, while doing it. @Michael, If I remember correctly, both "Wild Bill" and "Bufallo Bill" were, acording to their respective stories, teenagers, when they rode for the Express"
Posted by M.J.A. East, PhD on May 3,2010 | 08:08 PM
Indians are not native Americans more than anyone else born in this country, they were just here before the white people
They were self relocated across the bering strait
the conquering of aboriginal tribes and taking of their lands has gonne on for thousands of years
It is part of the history of the world, not just America
Posted by Joe Cunningham on May 3,2010 | 08:04 PM
i think you will find that the overland telegraph and not the overland stage mail delivery killed the pony express.
Posted by Paul Scalf, Holland, Mi on May 3,2010 | 07:57 PM
THEY HAVE ABOUT THE SAME RECORD OF SERVICE AS THE POST OFFICE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by SMOOTH721 on May 3,2010 | 07:55 PM
Growing up in North Platte, NE, home of Buffalo Bill's Scouts Rest Ranch I remember an elderly neighbor telling us stories of his days in the employ of Buffalo Bill Cody. According to him, Buffalo Bill did indeed ride as a Pony Express rider as a teenager.
Posted by Terri on May 3,2010 | 07:46 PM
Whether its only the envelope that had been recovered(not the content included),still history have something to offer us-the more convenient generations.It peeks into our imaginations how correspondence works...thumbs up Smithsonian!
Posted by DANTE P. DUTERTE on May 3,2010 | 07:45 PM
Indians weren't considered to be Americans at the time, so to call them Native Americans in the article would be wrong. Besides it IS written as such on the envelope. Political Correctness as done more to divide this country than it has to bring us together as a nation. How can you be American if you claim to be something else other then "American".
Posted by Paul on May 3,2010 | 07:44 PM
Proud to live on the Pony Express Trail. We watch the reenactment every year as it passes right in front of our house. Check out xphomestation.com to follow the progress every year. IT will start in San Francisco June 6, 2010.
Posted by Dori on May 3,2010 | 07:34 PM
I think the word "Indians" is just fine. BTW the term "Indians" has always been historically accurate. Stop trying to PC yourself to death and or don’t get your undies in a bundle
Posted by Kevin on May 3,2010 | 07:32 PM
I didn't realize that Nevada was in India.
Posted by Rose on May 3,2010 | 07:30 PM
The term Indians is used in the context of a quote that was on the card, so there is no need to PC it up...
Posted by Sean K on May 3,2010 | 07:27 PM
The article's reference to a "grass-fueled Fedex" caught my eye in particular because I happened to be traveling down the single-lane dirt road that was the old Pony Express route alongside the Carson River, Nevada recently when I had to dodge off the road to let a Fedex truck rattle by, raising clouds of dust. The road and mission were essentially unchanged, only the vehicle was a tad modernized (although not really any faster on that washboard road).
Posted by Earl on May 3,2010 | 07:19 PM
how many times is something like this gonna happen?
Posted by Shawty on May 3,2010 | 06:43 PM
Wasn't James “Wild Bill” Hickok a little large to be a Pony Express rider? They were supposed to be small, under 100 lbs. Often they were just in their mid teens.
We forget that horses could only carry so many pounds and the smaller the rider the more mail the horse could carry.
I think the weight limit for a cavalryman in the Union Army was 121 lbs. The total weight limit per horse was 150 lbs. and the standard equipment weighed about 39 lbs.
John Wayne amd Ward Bond probably wouldn't have been able to make the weight limit. People used to be a lot smaller.
Posted by Michael on May 3,2010 | 06:39 PM
Romanticism at its finest. History has always, and always will have, daring men and women to defy odds and meet challenges. The Pony Express, brief as it was, typifies that spirit. The way is blazed, and is replaced by gentler, less challenging, trails, for the masses.
Posted by Daniel Bliss on May 3,2010 | 06:32 PM
How about "Native Americans" in the stead of Indians?
Posted by Scott James on May 3,2010 | 06:30 PM
Nevada is not a, "Trackless waste."
Posted by Dan Link on May 3,2010 | 06:30 PM
So the letter was never delivered to rightful owners?
Posted by Jordan H on May 3,2010 | 06:27 PM
The National Pony Express Association sponsors a re-ride of the trip every year. You can still have letters sent on horseback from MS to CA (or visa versa), then delivered to its final destination by the USPS.
Posted by Becky on May 3,2010 | 06:27 PM
Hey I have stamps from Pony Express times.Are they rare?
Posted by listen to 97.5 on May 3,2010 | 06:23 PM
I wonder what the carbon footprint was for a letter via pony express mail versus FEDEX today. 1860 was when the last "little ice age" ended, and the (often debated) global warming trend began.
Posted by Joe Shonka on May 3,2010 | 06:17 PM
"Native Americans" instead of Indians should be used in this article I would say to be a little more historically correct ;)
Posted by C Cordier on May 3,2010 | 06:10 PM
The event which your writer refers to was the Paiute Indian War - which began in May of 1860 and lasted only a a couple of months. It was triggered by an incident in which miners raped at least two Paiute Indian girls at Williams Station in central Nevada. It resulted in the battle at Pyramid Lake when Paiute Indians defeated whites. Little traffic moved - east or west - at the height of the Paiute Indian War. Even as late as the fall of 1860, the British explorer Richard Burton - who was coming down the line - reports on the dangers of traveling across what is today Nevada and Utah.
www.orphanspreferred.com
Christopher Corbett
Posted by Christopher Corbett on April 29,2010 | 02:42 PM
Hi, on Friday morning I will be competing in the New York State History Day. I will be using the picture of the Pony Express letter in my presentation. Thanks
Posted by Lander on April 28,2010 | 09:13 PM
Hello from San Francisco - I am a fan of geneaology and have access to various online tools. If Owen is interested in further information on Fred Probst & Co. in New York City, it is out there. Frederick Probst died in 1875 and his obituary can be found in the New York Times. A quick look on ancestry.com provided other references, such as in NYC directories. Steve Heimerle
Posted by Steve Heimerle on April 24,2010 | 11:45 PM
is it a postcard or a letter? what is the content? i would like to read the letter. who is it from? is the letter missing and only the envelope found?
Posted by art farmer on April 24,2010 | 11:50 AM
@DealMayhem:
You posted:
For the sake of fairness to our own history, over the same period in the West, herds of millions of Bison were decimated and hundreds of thousands of first people were killed. Their culture, language, history, future erased in the name of greed.
Your post is way off topic. But if you actually research history, you will find the exact same story all over the world. Death, destruction, lost civilizations....what you refer to in your post just happened here in the US.
Posted by brdatwork2 on April 22,2010 | 07:59 PM
Yes, Dealmayhem, and the Indians conquered and slaughtered other tribes and erased their memory long before the white man arrived.
It is the nature of man, black, red, white, or yellow, and all shades in between.
One day we will be erased from memory too, when we are conquered by other invaders.
Posted by George on April 22,2010 | 06:29 PM
An excellent, if all to brief, article.
While there have been, and still are in some remote parts of our world, one-horsepower couriors thru time, none seem to capture the imagination like our own "Pony Express".
And, our own Mark Twain wrote of them in his "out West" book,
Roughing It; Another excellent, if all to brief, article.
Thank you, Smithsonian.
Ya'know, if extra-terrestrialfarians DO show up, I do believe it will be that ya'll and National Geographic will impress them the most.
Skip
Posted by Skip McCullough on April 22,2010 | 02:04 PM
For the sake of fairness to our own history, over the same period in the West, herds of millions of Bison were decimated and hundreds of thousands of first people were killed. Their culture, language, history, future erased in the name of greed.
Posted by DealMayhem on April 22,2010 | 01:38 PM